


Fine Print

by Texan_Red_Rose



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Demon!Weiss, F/F, Witch!Blake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-22 16:06:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13767663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texan_Red_Rose/pseuds/Texan_Red_Rose
Summary: Blake, the skeptic, wanted to prove that something as silly as witchcraft didn't exist. Then, she summoned a demon. Shenanigans ensue. (Inspired by and dedicated to WeissColdGlare on tumblr.)





	Fine Print

Blake furrowed her brows, looking between the diagram in the book and what she’d assembled on the floor of her room. Earlier in the day, she’d found a strange book among the shelves at the library and became interested, mainly because it was written in the old Faunus language. Then Sun had come over- insisting it was a book of witchcraft, that she shouldn’t even be touching it, quiet nearly getting them thrown out in the process- and while she fully believed  _he_  sincerely thought it was just that, she couldn’t take the suggestion seriously.

Really, witchcraft? Symbols and random ingredients in a bowl to cast spells? Come on. She might be a fan of some… questionable reading material that she kept well out of sight from her parents, but even  _she_  knew the difference between reality and fiction. The idea of being able to wield the elements or make someone she didn’t like fall flat on their face  _sounded_  like a stellar plot device, the whole ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ and so on, but in practicality would be ridiculous, and pretending it held any merit would only feed Sun’s paranoia regarding the subject.

So, she’d done the sensible thing and attempted to check the book out, though it didn’t have any sort of barcode and the staff didn’t recognize it. Thankfully, they knew her well enough to trust her with the book, as long as she promised to bring it back in the event the rightful owner returned for it. Sun had gone just a  _little_  crazy after that, insisting he’d rather walk than actually be near the thing, and she’d driven herself straight home to try casting one of the spells within. 

After all, if she tried a spell, and it didn’t work, wouldn’t that prove that her best friend’s fears were entirely unfounded?

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief and clearing her throat. “But… here it goes.”

Blake began to read the paragraph beneath the diagram, the archaic words sounding at once foreign and welcomed to her ears. Honestly, she’d always had a bit of an interest in ancient Fauni as a language, so even if she thought this whole thing was a waste of time, at least she had a book obviously written millennia ago, when the language was alive and thriving.

Once done with the ‘incantation’, she snapped the book shut and looked at the nameless cover, with only an eight pointed snowflake to adorn it.

“Well, glad I wasted my time with  _that_.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it a waste of time.” A voice came from behind her, startling her so bad she dropped the book and jumped to the other side of the room, whipping around to press her back against the wall. “A jumpy one, aren’t you, little witch?”

There, standing in her room, was a woman just a little shorter than her, with a great curved horn sweeping back over top her head, its twin oddly broken and jagged, just an inch long, with a luminescent scar leading down to streak across her left eye. Pure white hair- white as snow- pulled back into an off center ponytail, piercing blue eyes, and a little smirk that showed off sharp teeth- fangs, more like. Her entire outfit was white, making her eyes and the scar pop out all the more against pale skin, and a thin, spaded tail curled behind her, flicking lightly at the hem of her white skirt.

“Holy shit…” The words left her mouth in a soft whisper, heart hammering in her chest. “What are you?”

“The naivety is adorable, I’ll admit; you  _know_  what I am.” The woman took a step forward, her tail flicking as a smug smirk came to her lips. “But I’ll humor you. I’m a demon, little witch. The very one you summoned.”

Instantly, a war raged within her mind: her sense versus her senses. Because, rationally, she knew no such thing as demons existed, at least not in the literal sense. However… she couldn’t deny that the woman  _literally_  materialized behind her, that she was moving soundlessly around Blake’s bedroom, that her tail looked like no Faunus trait she’d ever seen.

“You’re… a demon-  _I_  summoned a  _demon_?”

Blue eyes flashed over to her, pulled away from a photo on her wall of her family. “I’m sorry. Are you genuinely asking me to repeat what I  _just_  said or is this your first summoning?”

“…  _both?”_ She blinked rapidly, trying to wrap her mind around the situation before her. “I’m just- I’m a little confused here.”

“Alright, little witch, what did you honestly expect?”

“Not this!” Blake shook her head. “I didn’t mean for  _this_  to happen! It’s- it’s an accident!”

“Wait, are you- you’re telling me…” The woman looked at her then like she was the absolute  _dumbest_  person on the face of Remnant. “How do you  _accidentally_  summon a demon? You literally said the words ‘I invoke you, demon, to appear before me’ and you  _didn’t mean_  for that to happen?”

“No!” She spread her hands in absolute helplessness. “I- I didn’t think it would  _work_! Witchcraft isn’t real, demons aren’t real,  _you are not real!”_

With a sigh, she raised a hand and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the entire room melted away, replaced by-

“What… did you… just do…” Blake pressed back, no longer against the wall of her room but rather the side of an air conditioning unit on the edge of a skyscraper’s roof in some big city she’d never been to, the wind blowing across her face all too real for her to deny. “Where are we?”

“That’s a wonderful question; this was the King’s castle the last time I walked Remnant, but I suppose that’s changed in recent years. Pity.” The woman- demon, rather, since this was  _really hard_  to explain away- leaned over the side and hummed. “I think the lights are pretty, though. Very… lively.” With another snap of her fingers, they were back in Blake’s room, and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor while gulping down huge breaths, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. “Oh, I probably should’ve asked beforehand if you have an issue with heights.”

“Honestly, I don’t have a problem with heights; I have a problem with being  _teleported without consent_.” Blake stopped, running a hand over her face. “I just said that. Those words just left my mouth in all seriousness.”

“Well, they did, I’m real, that was real, this is real, because  _you_  summoned a demon.” Said demon walked over, crouching down and extending a hand. “My name is Weiss. What is yours, little witch?”

“Blake.” Tentatively, she reached out and took her hand, surprised at how cool it was. Not clammy, not icy, just… cool. “So… what… what happens now?”

Weiss sighed, taking her hand back and tilting her head. “I didn’t think I’d ever have to explain this to someone, but here’s the basic gist of it.” She put a hand to her chest. “I’m a very specific type of demon- one of pride. When I am summoned, I’m bound to the one who summons me, to serve their pride until I’m dismissed.”

“So I can dismiss you? Just- just send you away?” At this point, a nice, easy out would be a blessing, and she would  _never_  criticize Sun’s reactions towards anything ever again.

“It’s… well, you  _could_.” The demon sighed, looking away for a moment. “It wouldn’t be ideal for  _me_  but I suppose that’s not really your concern.”

She should’ve pressed the point but her curiosity nipped at her, and the genuinely forlorn expression on the demon’s face pulled at her. “What do you mean?” 

“I… really didn’t want to do this, but it’s the easiest manner of explaining the situation.” With that, she snapped her fingers again and… disappeared. “Now you see my issue?”

“See your issue? I don’t even see you!” Maybe… maybe she  _was_  imagining all this? Perhaps she didn’t even remember laying down for a nap and did, and this was all a dream. A hyper realistic dream, but nothing more than the product of her imagination. It would certainly explain why she’d conjured such an… unexpectedly attractive demon rather than what the movies usually depicted.

“Look down.” Lowering her gaze, Blake’s brows rose as she found the demon standing before her… except only four inches tall. “Excellent. You see how big I am, yes?”

“Well… that isn’t the exact word I’d use-”

“Spare me the teasing.” The demon frowned up at her, a cute expression made downright endearing due to her size. “The size you saw me before? That’s how I  _should_  look.”

“Then… why are you-”

“I told you, the last time I had a summoner to serve was many years ago, likely centuries. I’ve been, well, starved.” She shrugged, gesturing down at herself. “I feed off the pride my summoner takes in their actions. I assist them in accomplishing their goals to increase that pride. But without someone to serve, I’ve been… diminishing. A few more decades, and I’ll cease to exist.”

Blake shifted, lowering a hand so the demon could step into it, then lifting her up so they could more or less look each other in the eye while she leaned back against the wall. “So… if I dismiss you… it’s like sending a starving person out into the cold without food.”

“More of a desert but, essentially, yes.”

“Okay, but, making a deal with demons- that’s, well, a pretty… uh, ‘frowned upon’ is putting it lightly.” Blake cringed. “Don’t I have to sell my soul to you or something?”

“We could go that route, but I’d rather not.” Weiss made a dismissive motion with her hands. “See, all demon interaction is based around the idea of a deal- one thing in exchange for another. For me, I prefer to offer my summoner portions of my power to help them succeed. In exchange, I can feed off their pride. That’s enough of a deal to satisfy demon law.”

“Demon  _law-_  you have  _laws_?”

“Don’t tell me you thought bureaucracy was a heavenly invention.”

“You got me there.” She sighed, leaning her head back until it hit the wall and closing her eyes. “So… what sort of things would I have to do? To… feed you?”

“What do you take pride in? What makes you proud?”

“I… don’t know.” Blake shrugged. “I mean… I’m proud that I make my parents happy? That… I get good grades? I got in on a full ride scholarship for poli-sci?”

“Why does it sound like you don’t really know what makes you proud?”

“I… kinda always thought I was a pretty humble person!” She looked at the demon in her hand, amber eyes flicking over her form. “I mean, I try not to be arrogant or prideful, so it’s… a bit of a left field question?”

“Of course I’m summoned by an altruist.” With a sigh, Weiss crossed her arms over her chest. “Well… do you want better grades?”

“I’m not going to  _cheat_.”

“It’s not  _technically_  cheating.”

“If you have to use the word ‘technically’, it’s not a good defense.”

“I thought you were studying political science, not law.” The demon threw her arms out. “Well, do you have any hobbies? Friends you’d like to impress? A girlfriend, boyfriend, a harem of thirsty lovers dying for a taste of you?”

“What sort of people have you  _met_  to where  _that_  is a sensible way to phrase a question?” Blake drew back in a mix of confusion and shock.

“The sort of people who  _summon a demon in the first place.”_

Okay, she should’ve seen that answer coming. “Look, I’m single, I’m proud of the relationships I have with my friends because I  _don’t_  have to impress them, and I don’t really have hobbies. I… don’t exactly have the time.” She sighed. “Honestly, I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day-”

“I can fix that,” Weiss said eagerly. “Time distortion is nothing to me. Would it make you feel more proud if you got your homework done in less time? Because I could absolutely do that.”

Amber eyes flicked over to the laundry hamper, which sat in the corner, quite nearly overflowing. “… could you remind me to do my chores? Because, I think I’d feel better if my time management skills weren’t so… bad.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” The demon paused, then narrowed her eyes. “Wait. When you say ‘remind me’ do you mean that you don’t want  _me_  doing it?”

“Yeah? You’re not a maid, you’re a demon.”

“I’m also not a scrap piece of paper to scribble on to remind yourself of things.” She spread her hands. “Honestly! There’s nothing you have that you’d feel proud to do better? No one you’d like to show up? You ask it and I could conjure the most expensive car, a massive amount of gold, a literal castle to live in- there’s  _nothing_  material you can take pride in?”

“No! I take pride in my relationships, not my things!” The moment the words left her lips, she reconsidered. “Wait, can you get me first edition copies of  _Ninjas of Love_? It’s a book series-”

Weiss snapped her fingers. “On your desk.”

She looked over and, sure enough, twelve brand new books sat on her desk. “ _The entire set!_ ”

“They’re even signed.”

As a smile spread across her lips, she noticed the weight in her hand- previously hardly anything- became just the smallest bit heavier. When she looked back, she found Weiss had grown half an inch.

“How did you appear at your normal size before?”

Her tail lashed around, obviously not very happy with being reminded of her predicament. “It was… more of a projection. I could make myself solid enough to shake your hand, but the rest of me was more illusion than anything. Even transporting you earlier- that took the last bit of my strength, really.”

“So… you’re really stuck like this unless I can figure something out to be really proud of, huh?” Reaching up, she scratched at her chin. “Well, maybe-” Her shoulders jumped as heavy knocks against her front door echoed through the small apartment. Only  _one_  person ever announced their presence like that, and she did it  _specifically_  so Blake would know exactly who it was. “Oh no.”

“’Oh no’ what? Who’s there? An enemy?”

“My mom.” She ran a hand over her face. “I forgot; she said she was dropping by today for tea and to catch up.”

“… I repeat my question: an enemy?”

“Wha- no!” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would my  _mother_  be an enemy?”

Weiss shrugged. “Well, you clearly have a better family dynamic than I do.”

“Look, the only thing she’s going to do is have tea, ask me how I’m doing, and tell me I should date more. Or… at all, really.”

“So, if I were to play as your girlfriend-”

“Absolutely not,” she said immediately, but then she really thought about it as more knocks came. “I mean… I can’t introduce you as my girlfriend, at least not yet. That would be suspicious.” Then she shook her head, coming to her senses. “No, no I can’t do that.”

“And why not?”

“Because I can’t take pride in a fake relationship!”

“But you  _can_  take pride in making your mother happy, correct?”

… damnit, that was a good point.

Lowering her hand to the ground, she jerked her head to the side. “Just… wait here.”

Once Weiss had hopped out of her hand, Blake stood up and brushed herself off before quickly heading to the front door of her apartment, hoping against hope there would be absolutely  _no_  reason for her mother to go into her room. The last thing she needed was to try and explain the whole thing.

“Blake!” Her mother smiled, opening her arms wide and pulling her into a hug the moment the door opened. “Did I come at a bad time, sweetheart?”

“No, Mom, not at all, I was just, uh, finishing up some homework.” She laughed, hoping it sounded more natural than it felt. “Come on in.”

“Oh, I do hope you aren’t overloading yourself with schoolwork again.” Her mother tsked, shaking her head slightly. “I know you’ve always been more comfortable with books than people, Blake, but you should make an effort to get out there.”

She glanced at her watch- ten seconds, a new record for how quickly her lack of a romantic partner was addressed. “I know, Mom, it’s just- I-”

“Blake, do you remember what page-” Amber eyes went wide as Weiss walked out of her bedroom, except she didn’t  _look_  like herself. Well, not entirely; gone were the horns and tail, her skin a few shades closer to a more natural color though still rather pale, and while she did have a scar still, it didn’t glow. “Oh! Right, you said your mother was coming over. I guess that’s my cue-”

“Nonsense!” Her mother’s expression absolutely lit up, going over to introduce herself to the disguised demon. “I’m Kali, Blake’s mother, obviously. But what’s your name, dear?”

“Weiss.” They shook hands while a beaming little smile spread across her lips. “I’m one of Blake’s classmates.”

In the back of her mind, a running mantra of ‘crap crap crap’ played on loop as she struggled to figure out how to react to the current situation, and she especially didn’t like that coy little smile on her mother’s lips. 

“Oh! A little bit of a study date, is it?”

“Yes, I was sick for a week and missed class, and Blake’s been an absolute saint in helping me catching up.”

Should she roll with it? She should probably just roll with it.

“Now, I’m not sure which is more surprising: that my little bookworm is reaching out to help a classmate.” Was it possible to die of embarrassment? Blake felt like she was about to find out. “ _Or_  that a pride demon is attending college.” In that moment, she felt her heart sink all the way down to the bottom of her shoes as her mother never stopped smiling, even as Weiss’ own expression fell entirely.  Blake hadn’t even noticed that her mother had placed herself between the two, as if bodily blocking the demon’s path. “Normally, I wouldn’t give away the element of surprise, but you’re rather weak right now, aren’t you? Not even strong enough to even run away, not without my daughter to help. So what’s stopping me from dismissing you myself?”

“Mom, wait-” When her mother looked over at her, she quite nearly bit her tongue, but she could see genuine fear flashing in Weiss’ eyes. “I- I know this probably looks bad, and I would  _love_  to know how you recognized her as a demon, but she’s not a bad one… I don’t think so, anyway.”

“Thank you, Blake, for sounding  _so_  convincing,” the demon said, apparently taking refuge in her sarcastic wit.

However, the older Faunus did look back at her daughter, ears perking forward. “Where’s the grimoire?”

“… the what?”

“The book. The one you used to summon me.”

“Oh!” She grimaced, feeling absolutely out of her depth. “Uh, it’s in my room.”

“Bring it here.” Her mother fixed the demon with a look. “And you, sit down on the couch.” Not wasting any time, both of them complied, and Blake tried to formulate some sort of defense for keeping the demon around. Not that she had anything she really wanted, of course, but she absolutely  _could not_  send someone off to their death without a second thought. When she returned, she handed over the book to her mother, who seemed to pause while running her fingers over the snowflake on the front. “I recognize this sigil… you know Willow.”

“She’s my mother.”

“Demons have mothers?”

“Of course, Blake; everyone has a mother,” hers said, with a soft smile. “And I happen to know that Willow and her ilk are… a little bit different than most.”

“Um…  _how_  exactly?”

Without a word, her mother lifted a hand and snapped her fingers, then motioned towards the coffee table. “It’s a bit of a long story, sweetheart, but go ahead and have a seat. Enjoy your tea.” Blake opened her mouth to object- she hadn’t even made it to the kitchen yet- but when amber eyes instinctively flicked to the table, there sat three cups of hot tea with saucers. So, she sat down, slowly, her mind racing. “Oh, dear me, this certainly  _is_  a unique contract.” Her mother shook her head. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised and impressed. Drawing on your summoner’s pride rather than your pride in manipulating them? That’s almost foolish.”

“It’s worked so far,” Weiss replied, a bit of heat in her voice as she tried to defend herself.

“Uh huh, and how tall are you really right now?” The demon said nothing but Blake couldn’t hide anything from her mother, holding her finger and thumb to indicate Weiss’ true height at present. “That’s what I thought. It’s… an interesting approach.” She snapped the book shut, setting it down on the coffee table before taking a seat and picking up her tea. “So, Blake, would you like to tell me why you summoned a demon?”

There really was no  _good_  way to answer this. “It was an accident; I didn’t think it was  _real_.”

Almost immediately, her mother winced, taking a sip of her tea. “I suppose that’s my failing. You have to understand, Blake, that you  _did_  tell me you wanted nothing to do with witchcraft when I asked.”

“What?” Would there be  _no_  end to her confusion? “When did you ask?”

“Oh, you were eight, maybe nine, and you absolutely  _adored_  that fairy tale book we got you.” She shrugged. “In all those stories, there weren’t any  _good_  witches. So you wanted nothing to do with it, and I didn’t push, nor did I reveal my own abilities for fear it would scare you.” For a moment, it looked like that was all she’d say, but then she tapped a finger against the side of her mouth and nodded. “Though, you  _did_  take a sudden interest in reading Fauni after that.”

“Well…” Blake sighed, leaning back and biting her lip. “I’m sorry I let those stories convince me not to give witchcraft a thought and that you had to hide it away for so long.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you have nothing to apologize for!” She chuckled, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes. “Things like this happen. I just didn’t think you’d be such a skeptic to try casting a spell just to prove witchcraft wasn’t real.” Her gaze flicked over to Weiss. “And, I suppose, you’re lucky the one demon you manage to cross paths with is of a much gentler sort than the king  _I_  dealt with when I was your age. However, she’s still a demon- no offense, darling.”

“None taken,” the demon begrudgingly replied, sighing and reverting to her actual height. Although she didn’t look particularly happy about it, she accepted Blake’s assistance in crossing the distance between couch and coffee table. She wasn’t much taller than the lip of the tea cup, but she managed to produce what looked like a straw that allowed her to drink from the side.

She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t  _pretty_  adorable.

“Mom, I… honestly don’t know what I’m doing or really what I got myself into.” Amber eyes fell down to the demon before meeting her mother’s gaze again. “But, you apparently have a better understanding than I do. She might be a demon but she’s not asking me to hurt anyone. I can’t just… dismiss her. That’s like a death sentence, isn’t it?”

“In her present state? Yes.” Her mother pressed her lips into a thin line. “I’ll admit that most demons lie with every breath, pride demons especially. They usually draw a significant amount of their namesake from deceiving others.”

“But Weiss?”

“Doesn’t, and I’m willing to admit that.” She sighed. “I admit this isn’t a black and white situation. I can’t fault you for not wanting to outright kill another being, even if that being is a demon. She does seem rather harmless.”

“I am the epitome of power, strength, and deadly precision!” Weiss objected hotly.

She couldn’t help but smile. “You’re four inches tall.”

“Four and a half!”

“Blake.” She looked up at her mother, who had a similar smile on her lips. “If you want to go through with this pact, we’ll have a  _lot_  to catch up on. I know you can become just as powerful a witch as I am but the choice is yours.” She inclined her head. “You could just as easily help this demon get a few good meals in and send her on her way.”

Looking down at the demon, she weighed her options before nodding, more for her benefit than theirs. “I want to help. I’m not sure if I want to become a full blown witch but… I would like to learn a little bit. Just- I don’t want my grades to suffer.”

Her mother smiled wider, absolutely beaming with pride. “You’ve always known which path you’ll walk, sweetheart. I’m glad to see not even  _this_  curveball can dissuade that.”

Blake felt a warmth in her chest, and laughed a little at the pleased little hum that came from the demon as she grew just a bit more.

Well, she hadn’t  _expected_  to summon a demon tonight, but all things considered? 

She really couldn’t complain.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this pic, by WCG.  
> 


End file.
